First Impressions
by Settiai
Summary: Maybe things would work out after all. :: Kaylee, Mal, Wash, Zoe


Kaylee felt excitement bubbling up inside of her as she hurried to keep up with Captain Reynolds, her small bag of belongings tossed carelessly over her shoulder. It still hadn't quite sunk in yet that she was really going to be a mechanic on a ship. And not just some broken down hunk of metal that pretty much crashed down on her moon, either, but one that was actually going to be flying up there in the black.

The captain glanced over at her, a hint of a smile on his face. "Don't you ever stop grinning?"

"Not according to my pa," she replied, her grin broadening.

He flinched slightly at the mention of her father, but he didn't comment. Instead, he let his gaze drift toward _Serenity_ before chuckling. "Looks like we've got company."

"Captain?" Kaylee asked, her brow furrowing as she followed his gaze. There were two people standing outside the ship, watching them. One of them, a fairly handsome man with a ridiculous-looking mustache, looked to be laughing. The other, a dark-skinned woman with a no-nonsense look on her face, didn't seem nearly as amused.

"I'll introduce you in a minute," the captain whispered out of the side of his mouth. Then he waved at the two people. "There a problem, Zoe?"

"Not really, sir," Zoe replied, her eyes flickering toward Kaylee for just an instant. "We were starting to wonder where you were."

"And Bester's disappeared on us again," the man put in. "Think we'll get lucky and he won't come back?"

Zoe shot him an unamused look. "We still need a mechanic, Wash."

"You're not gonna get an argument from me," Wash said, holding up his hands. "But if Bester's a mechanic, then I'm a Companion."

Kaylee knew she wasn't imagining the twinkle that appeared in Zoe's eyes at that statement. Apparently the captain came to the same realization, though, because he quickly cut in. "This is Kaylee," the captain said, gesturing at her. "She's our new mechanic."

Wash blinked. "Really?" he asked, sounding surprised. "What happened to Bester?"

The captain ignored his question. "Kaylee, this is Wash," he said, pointing toward the man. "He's our pilot."

"Nice to meet you," Kaylee said, holding out her hand. Wash gave her an exaggerated wink as he took it, and she felt her face flush slightly when he brought it up to his lips instead of shaking it.

"The pleasure's mine," Wash said, his face breaking into another grin.

The captain rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gestured toward the woman. "This is Zoe, my first mate. If I'm not around, she's in charge."

Kaylee started to hold her hand out to Zoe as well, but she stopped herself when she saw the look on the other woman's face. "Um, nice to meet you too," she said.

Zoe quirked an eyebrow and nodded slightly, but she didn't say a word.

The captain finally seemed to notice the expression on Zoe's face, and he glanced over at Wash. "Mind showing Kaylee here where she can bunk?" he asked.

Wash gave him a mock salute. "Whatever you say, Mal."

Before Kaylee knew what was happening, Wash had grabbed her bag from her and was starting into the ship. "Just follow me, Kaylee," he called over his shoulder.

Shooting the captain a hesitant look, she started after Wash. As she disappeared inside of _Serenity_, she heard the captain clear his throat somewhere behind. His voice was soft, but she could still hear what he was saying. "Well, what do you think of her?"

Zoe snorted. "Just how old is she, sir?"

The captain didn't reply for a second. "Seventeen," he finally said, though he sounded a bit unsure. "Least that's what she told me."

"Then I think she's a child with no business getting involved with our work."

Kaylee couldn't hear his reply, but she felt her unbridled excitement slowly start to fade.

----------

"And this is your bunk."

Wash stepped to the side, letting Kaylee slip past him into the small room. She quickly glanced over the bare metal walls, her mind already coming up with ways to make it more cozy and homelike. It wouldn't take much, not really. A few of the knickknacks she had thrown into her bag, the brightly colored blanket that her mama had thrust into her hands as she walked out the door. . . .

The sound of Wash clearing his throat brought her back into the present.

"It's shiny," she said, flashing him a big grin as she spun back around. "Really, it's perfect."

Wash let out a chuckle as he reached out and patted her shoulder. "I doubt that," he told her teasingly. "Anyway, you go ahead and get settled in. We'll probably be taking off soon. Feel free to wander around and get a feel for things."

Kaylee smiled at him. "I think I'll do just that."

Wash winked at her before turning and leaving. A few seconds later, though, he popped his head back in the room. "Oh, we'll probably be eating around 1800 if you want to come on up to the dining area around then."

"I'll be there," Kaylee said with a laugh. Wash faked tipping a hat to her and then disappeared again.

Kaylee waited for a minute, until she was certain that Wash was really gone, before she let her smile fade away. She reached out and touched the cool metal walls, her face brightening slightly when she felt a slight hum underneath them. If _Serenity_ was whispering to her even while they were on the ground, she couldn't wait to see what the ship was like once they got up into space. Maybe she'd even get to hear the Firefly sing.

_"Then I think she's a child with no business getting involved with our work."_

She frowned as Zoe's words suddenly echoed in her mind. She didn't know why she was taking the other woman's criticism so harshly. It was obvious that Wash liked her, and the captain had invited her to join his crew so he couldn't be too worried about her age. Two out of three wasn't bad. Besides, the older woman hadn't really seemed to dislike her personally . . . just her age.

It didn't help any that Zoe was one of the most gorgeous women she'd ever met.

Kaylee sighed.

----------

Kaylee wasn't usually the kind of girl who got nervous at meeting new folks, but she had to admit that she felt a hint of it as she sat down at the table across from the other three members of the _Serenity_ crew. She hadn't had much time to really think about the people she was going to be working and living with, and the reality of her decision to join the crew was just starting to sink in.

The captain nodded at her as she sat down, stopping his conversation for just a second. "Hey there, little Kaylee. Are you settling in alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"That's good," he said, flashing her a small grin. Then he turned back to the conversation he had been having with Wash and Zoe. As they talked, Kaylee listened to what they were saying with more than a little interest. They were talking about someone named Badger, and she could hear the exasperated amusement in their voices even though most of the conversation didn't make much sense to her. It sounded like they were talking about a job they'd done awhile back, and if everything they were saying was true it was pretty obvious that they were doing some elaborating.

At least, she hoped they were.

Kaylee felt a little uncomfortable, as if she didn't quite belong at the same table with then, but she knew that was to be expected. She'd only known them a couple of hours. It was going to take a lot longer than that for her to become one of them.

Forcing herself to smile and act like she was listening intently to what they were say, Kaylee let her gaze drift over their faces. She didn't know much about them, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to figure a little bit out.

She studied Wash first. Kaylee had never had a _ge ge_, but she got the impression that's how the pilot would be fitting into her life. She supposed Wash was handsome enough even with that horrible mustache, but she just couldn't picture him going for a quick tumble with her just to kill the time. He didn't seem the type. No, he was the kind of man who'd find himself a wife or a husband and stick by 'em through thick and thin.

And, judging by the surreptitious looks he kept shooting at Zoe, she had a pretty good idea who he had his sights on.

Then there was the captain. Kaylee moved her attention onto Captain Reynolds, smiling a bit as she listened to the animated conversation he was having with the other two. It was obvious that he was definitely her type: handsome, smart, and not under the impression that sex and love were the same thing. That's why she liked going after the captains who'd landed at the spaceport back at home, after all. And the mechanics. And the pilots. And the. . . well, it wasn't that important that she go into the whole list.

Unfortunately, she was pretty sure that her new captain only saw her as _mèimei_. Too young for him, especially after the talk he'd had with his first mate. And her pa. She hadn't even heard the conversation, but she had a pretty good idea what it had involved. Take care of my little girl, keep her safe, touch her and I'll find a way to kill you. . . it didn't leave much for the imagination.

Which only left the first mate for her to ponder. Kaylee moved her gaze on to focus on Zoe, doing her best not to make it obvious that she was staring. Now this woman, she was something. What that something was exactly, Kaylee wasn't sure, but she was definitely something.

Zoe had military training, of that Kaylee was certain. When the war had ended, she'd been old enough to see the difference in the men who left and the ones who came back. And she'd been able to tell which ones had been volunteers and which ones had been enlisted soldiers. They carried themselves differently. The captain, he'd signed up for the war. But not Zoe. Kaylee would bet almost anything that she was career military.

"Is there a reason you're staring at me?"

Kaylee let out a startled gasp as Zoe suddenly met her gaze, and she felt her face turn red as both the captain and Wash glanced at her as well. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I was just trying to read your faces, see what I could figure out about you."

Wash's eyes twinkled, and he shot her a big grin.

The captain let out a chuckle as he leaned back in his chair. "If there's anything you want to know about us, Kaylee, just ask. We'll either tell you or we won't."

"I'm interested to hear what you figured out about me by reading my face," Zoe said, her face almost expressionless although Kaylee was fairly certain she saw a hint of amusement twinkling in her eyes.

Kaylee bit her lip, suddenly feeling uncomfortable again. "I'm probably wrong about most of it," she said weakly. "It's more guesses than anything else."

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "I'm still interested in hearing it."

Kaylee let her eyes drop down to the table, focusing her gaze on her carefully folded hands. "You were in the war, probably career military. Definitely an Independent. If I had to guess, I'd say that's how you met the captain."

There was more that she could say, but Kaylee knew enough to quit while she was ahead. All that she had said were surface details, nothing to let any of them know that it hadn't just been their pasts that she'd been thinking about. _You're not the kind of person who trusts people easily. That's part of the reason you don't like me yet._

It wasn't until the captain let out a low whistle that Kaylee finally looked up. "I think we've got us a reader on board," he said teasingly. Then he started to chuckle.

As Wash joined in, Kaylee felt some of the tension drain from her. She started to smile, and then she turned her attention toward Zoe. Her face had softened slightly, and when she saw that Kaylee was looking at her she picked up her glass and held it up as if proposing a toast. Then Zoe started to smile.

Kaylee couldn't help but smile back. Maybe things would work out after all.


End file.
